For July 4th and Independence Day I thought I would pull together some of my photos of the American flag and share them with you here. My camera and lens is often drawn to the American flag when I see it so it wasn't hard scouring my hard drives looking for photos of the Stars and Stripes. I hope you enjoy these photos.

Also, here are some things you might not know about the American Independence:

1.) America did not declare its Independent on July 4th. The Continental Congress actually voted for independence on July 2nd and most signers of the Declaration of Independence actually did not sign the document until August 2, 1776.

2.) Only John Hancock signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Everyone else did not sign until later.

3.) Three of the first five presidents died on the Fourth of July. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe all died on the Fourth of July. Adams and Jefferson died on the same day in 1826, the 50th anniversary of the United States of America.

4.) The Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 men from 13 colonies.

5.) The Fourth of July did not become an official federal holiday until 1938.

6.) The United States is not a democracy. It is a republic.

7.) In 1776 there were 2.5 million people living in our new nation. Today the population of the United States is 321 million.

8.) Every 4th of July the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia is tapped (not actually rung) thirteen times in honor of the original thirteen colonies.

9.) The National Anthem was originally used by an English drinking song called “To Anacreon in Heaven.”

10.) Approximately 150 million hot dogs and 700 million pounds of chicken are consumed on the Fourth of July in the United States.